When we think of Christmas desserts our minds probably jump to fudge, sugar cookies, candy canes, fruit cake, etc. – all the traditional recipes we’ve either grown up with or seen in movies/TV shows. But according to last December’s Google Trends data, people’s preferences when it comes to holiday treats are much different than we’d expect. For one, it appears that most everyone’s preferred holiday dessert is a slice of cheesecake.
According to the online recruiter Zippia, data collected from 11 different states showed a high prevalence of cheesecake. While most of these states seemed to prefer the classic cheesecake, Hawaii had a preference for Oreo cheesecake, while Pennsylvania was more in favor of gingerbread cheesecake. And while Pennsylvania may have a taste for gingerbread, they weren’t the only state. Both Colorado and Maryland showed a preference for gingerbread dessert, with two other states, New Hampshire and Virginia, being even more traditional in their tastes as their residents seemed to stick to the traditional gingerbread men.
Another very traditional holiday dessert staple is fruitcake and this dessert weakness was apparently alive and well in both North and South Carolina. But not all the southern states had a taste for fruitcake or cheesecake. Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia were all about that red velvet cake.
But cakes and cookies weren’t the only items on the menu. Apparently, there were a fair few states who had differing tastes in candies. Washington residents apparently love Skittles, Utah lives for the Jolly Rancher, and Alaska is all for M&Ms. Meanwhile, chocolate Santas are a fan-favorite in both Illinois and New Jersey.
And then there are those who love pudding. We’re not quite sure what kind of pudding is the favored choice, but what we do know is that Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee all love to enjoy pudding around the holidays.
For more information of what your state considers the best holiday treat, click here or refer to the map below:
What do you think of the data? Does it surprise you? Let us know!